ron_dargenio

My Sport Cups heat cycled out at my last event. They performed very nicely.

Should I stick with Cups ($2300/set) or go with 18" wheels and tires? I have read that Kumho V710s are sturdier than Hoosiers and can withstand driving on them to and from the track. In the long run these will be less $ than Cups with better performance.

I drive my car to and from the track and my home track (NJMP) is about 70 miles from home.

Thoughts/opinions?

IRguy

I had the same dilemma last week, then I decided to go with a dedicated 18" track setup. I live about 20miles from our local track so I do plan to commute with the track set on. I do not know the Kumho's at all but the BFG-R1 is somewhat stronger than the Hoosier R6. By the way the Hoosier R6 in 335/30 R18 is not available right now and will take about 6 weeks to get. So I'll go with the BFG-R1 first. (265/30 and 335/30)
A dedicated track set will be cheaper on the long run, (aprox. after 5 sets of tire).
The only issue is the car with the 18" setup sits almost an inch lower than the original. I do not have front lift so this can be a problem.

mdrums

I've been using Toyo R888 for a few years. They heat cycle out quick compared to the olde and discontinued RA1 but they have tread that works in the rain. I also drive to and from home to my track...98 miles driveway to pits.

Seems like for 19" r-compound tires you have R888, Pirelli Trofeo and MPSC....anyone know of any other drive to the track r-comp tires?

sin911

Non r-comp Bridgestone RE-11

Izzone

Please give me a review of this tire.......after my stock of RA1 runs out I will try it

tcsracing1

i say keep it simple. Keep running MPSC on stock wheels.

18" track wheels lead to open trailers......

dan212

MPSC's are great. The other question is going to 18 inch wheels and maybe STILL running MPSC's.. These cars are new with some pretty sophisticated stability and traction control programming, not to mention chassis itself.. I don't know if there enough experience out there with this new generation of cars to know if 18 inch wheels are a good change. They were for the 997.1, but how many people have put on 18's and seen what difference they found - without also changing tire (brand/type) so that there is a basis for comparison.

Oh yeah - and my Avatar is in the rain on MPSC's.. Its not like they don't perform very well. But like everything, they will wear out.. I never corded a set.. I heat cycled them and when I felt them lose it, I replaced them

GrantG

RA-1's are not discontinued - there were too many protests over the R888, so they decided to keep making them (in my sizes anyways - maybe not in your desired sizes). I'm big fan of the RA-1 (great in the rain full tread, great on a dry track when shaved, great on the street, and last longer than any other DOT).

mooty

R6 very very good tire for DE. i dont know what others are talking about, but for DE, i dont think anything comes remotely close to it. slicks yes, but DOT R, this is IT. but you cannot drive on street, you really taking chance on puncture and losing HC.

V710 great, you "can" drive on street, but you "make sure" ZERO water. else..... you need good car and health insurance. they can take a lot of HC.

R888, pls avoid

RA1, they have perfect size for your car, izzone and reter are on them. when RA1 is bald, i am almost as fast on them as hoosiers!!!!. you can drive RA1 on street all day. in fact, when i ran RA1, that is my street tires, DD tires, track tire, race tire. they are really that good. easy to care for, just get it to 38-40 psi and drive it drive it drive it.

Crazy Canuck

18"

sin911

My rear RA1's are toast! They look no different than used Hoosiers... While they're great, it's really hard to find them. And once you find them, they're expensive.

The last time when I was driving back it was simply pouring and the car was hydroplaning constantly. I need a tire that I can drive to and back to the track in the rain and perform well on the track

mooty

all fast tires are deadly in wet.
you can run full tread RA1 and you be good in wet.
to find cheap RA1, you have to bribe the PO of your car ;-)

mdrums

Seriously R888....full tread if you cant find RA1... Which suck at full tread. R888 starts to heat cycle out after around the 6 or so DE days but still have some tread so you can drive in the rain.

rlips

Hey Ron,

First of all, I saw you out there this weekend, you are looking faster and faster. I think that once you start to run faster, you are faced with the dilemma. Any really fast tire is going to be tough to drive on the street. Any streetable tire will eventually limit you on the track.

For me, it meant Hoosiers and a trailer. A bit more work, but well worth it on the track.

You are now on the slippery edge, I say jump on over


Ron

brad@tirerack.com

N1 Cups are probably what I would go with. They are still stickiest for street/track use. Followed by Pirelli Corsa if wet traction is a bit more of a concern. The RE-11 has rated well also but won't have the "at the limit" traction that Cups do. The new Super Sport has been reviewing to be darn close to Cups in terms of grip, too and will last twice as long.

Several options available....please call me if I can help.